As we get into November, we see the hurricane season start to calm down, as we inch closer and closer to winter and the incoming cold weather!
However, we can still see some pretty intense late-season hurricanes, such was the case back in 1837, when Hawaii was hit by one of the most intense hurricanes ever to strike the state. The hurricane struck Hilo, which is located on the largest Hawaiian island, with winds of 115 mph. The storm would end up killing 730 people.
Strong, sometimes even destructive winds can blow outside of hurricanes and other storms as well. It can blow around lightweight objects, it can blow shingles off roofs, it can even blow large semi-trucks over. However one thing people in Tacoma, Washington didn’t expect the wind to blow over was a bridge, that was opened to the public just 4 months prior. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge moved vertically with the wind as it was being built, and was even nicknamed to reflect that fact, however no one ever expected what happened on November 7, 1940. Strong winds in excess of 50 mph caused the spans of the bridge to violently vibrate. Twisting motion caused the roadbed to tilt 45 degrees horizontally one way, then the other, before finally collapsing. The only fatality in this collapse was a cocker-spaniel, named Tubby who could not escape, despite his owner’s best efforts, as the car he was in fell into the water below.
